Joining a start-up? Ask these questions.

Joining a start-up? An exciting opportunity that I encourage everyone to pursue. If you are coming from a more traditional job or new to start-ups, it’s easy to assume the team has already figured out product-market-fit and you are an early growth hire success. This is 100% most likely not the case and before joining a start-up, ask questions that give yourself an idea of the challenges ahead.

If you get time with the founders before joining, I would definitely ask the questions outlined below:

Vision & Founder Narrative

• Why does this company exists and where does it put you in 5 years?

Business Model

• How does this company make money and who does it benefit?
• How long will it take for this company to be profitable?

Product Strategy

• What was built first and why?
• What makes your product or positioning unique?
• What have you learned that is informing what you build next?

Marketing & Growth Strategy

• What have you learned about your customers (if any)?
• Where are you able to sell the product and any blockers to accessing other channels?

Metrics & Performance:

• How are you measuring performance and where do you need to be in 3 to 6 months?

Investors:

• Who is relying on your success and how big is their stake?
• How much runway do you have at the current burn rate?

There are definitely more questions to ask, but this will give you a pretty good idea of what you are getting into. Based on the answers or lack of answers to the questions you ask, you will know where to focus first, second, and third.

Have other questions you would ask? Leave a comment.